Chicken Yakhni Pilaf/Pulao

Yakhni Pulao, what does Yakhni mean? Yakhni mean the meat broth, and the pulao is cooked in this broth to make this pilaf. Traditionally, Chicken or meat is cooked with whole spices in lot of water to prepare the broth. The broth is then strained, kept aside and used later to cook the pulao. It is not difficult to prepare but is definitely time consuming. What I present here is a one pot yakhni pulao which cooks much faster and is very easy to prepare. So, we first cook the chicken and prepare a broth of it and then in the broth we cook the rice. So, wasting no more time on discussion and history, let’s begin cooking.

Course: Main Course               

Cuisine: Kashmiri (Indian)

Preparation time: 30 mins        

Cook time: 40 mins

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients

• 500 gram chicken
• 1 medium size potato each into 4 pieces
• 2 cups of long grain basmati rice
• 2 onions chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• 2 black cardamom
• ½  tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 pinch nutmeg powder
• 1 mace(javitri)
• 1 tej patta/bay leaf
• ½ tablespoon cumin powder
• ½ tablespoon coriander powder
• ½ tablespoon chilli powder or according to taste
• 200gram curd/yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon of whole cumin(jeera)/ shahi jeera
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 2 tablespoon of ghee
• Salt to taste

For serving

• Chopped coriander
• Chopped mint

Directions

1. Make a powder of black cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick, mace, tejpatta.
2. Make cuts on the surface of chicken and marinade the chicken with the powdered spices, salt, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, ginger paste, garlic paste and 1 tablespoon of yogurt for at least ½  hour to overnight.
3. Soak the basmati rice for the pulao for at least ½  hour.
4. Take a pot. To it add oil and ghee and heat it.
5. To this hot oil add 1/3 cup of chopped onions. Fry them to light brown color. Remove them and keep aside. These fried onions will be used for garnishing.
6. Now, add jeera/shahi jeera to the hot oil and wait for the jeera to splutter.
7. Add the remaining onions and saute them till they turn translucent.
8. Now, add the chicken to the pot. Mix it with the ingredients in the pot and cook for couple of minutes.
9. Add 2 cups of water and cook the chicken covered. Also add the potatoes at this point. The water in which the chicken is cooked forms the yakhni in which the rice will be cooked.
10. After 10-15 minutes when the chicken is cooked add the soaked rice.
11. Then add the remaining yogurt to the pot.
12. Mix everything properly in the pot.
13. Now let the rice cook for 10 minutes on mid-high flame and 10 minutes on low flame. (The pot should be tightly sealed). In case you do not have a pot like mine, you can seal the edges with wheat flour dough)
14. Keep the pulao sealed till you serve.
15. Serve the pulao hot. Garnish the pulao with fried onions, chopped coriander and mint leaves.

Notes

1. Donot overcook the rice.
2. I prefer preparing the masala fresh as this gives a very good flavor to the pulao.
3. The pulao can also be prepared using a pressure cooker. My family being a small one, I did not have a large pressure cooker. You can use a pressure cooker. In that case cook the chicken initially for 1 whistle and with the rice and chicken for 3 whistles.
4. You can also serve the pilaf with raita and salad.

Step by step instructions to prepare Yakhni pilaf

Make cuts on the surface of chicken and marinade the chicken with the powdered spices, salt, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, ginger paste, garlic paste and 1 tablespoon of yogurt for at least ½  hour to overnight.

Soak the basmati rice for the pulao for at least ½  hour.

Take a pot. To it add oil and ghee and heat it.

To this hot oil add 1/3 cup of chopped onions. Fry them to light brown color. remove them and keep aside. These fried onions will be used for garnishing.

Now, add jeera/shahi jeera to the hot oil and wait for the jeera to splutter.

Add the remaining onions and saute them till they turn translucent.

Now, add the chicken to the pot. Mix it with the ingredients in the pot and cook for couple of minutes.

Add 2 cups of water and cook the chicken covered. Also add the potatoes at this point. The water in which the chicken is cooked forms the yakhni in which the rice will be cooked.

After 10-15 minutes when the chicken is cooked add the soaked rice.

Then add the remaining yogurt to the pot.

Mix everything properly in the pot.

(The pot should be tightly sealed). In case you do not have a pot like mine, you can seal the edges with wheat flour dough). Keep the pulao sealed till you serve.

Serve the pulao hot. Garnish the pulao with fried onions, chopped coriander and mint.

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